


Troubled Night

by RavenHowl



Category: Beyond Eden (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alex Wake - Freeform, Alex needs a hug, Beyond Eden: Dear Edward, Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, Domestic Fluff, Edward Edenic - Freeform, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Spoilers, Nightmares, One-Shot, Post-Canon, Self-Indulgent, Visual Novel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:14:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28694529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenHowl/pseuds/RavenHowl
Summary: At night, when Alex suffers from visions of his past, Edward is here to comfort him.
Relationships: Edward Edenic & Alex Wake, Edward Edenic/Alex Wake
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	Troubled Night

The moon was high and bright in the sky when the young aristocrat was woken up from his peaceful slumber. Light whimpers and quiet mumbling could be heard right next to him. A sad melody in contrast to the warm atmosphere of the room. As he rubbed his tired eyes, turning his head towards the source of all these noises, he noticed that the covers were moving about, as if possessed by a ghost. Hopefully, he knew it wasn't such a being making those sounds or pulling the sheets from his half-naked silhouette. Once his aquamarine irises had adjusted to the darkness, mostly helped by the moonlight, the boy could finally see the form tossing and turning under the cloth. Alex seemed to be going through an awful nightmare, his face twisted by a pained expression, eyebrows almost joined together, lips parted to let ragged breaths enter his windpipe, and body thrashing more and more. His chest was rising, up and down, in a quick motion and little droplets of sweat were tracing the side of his face. Then, his painful groans became louder and louder, until they were all that could be heard in the silence of the night. From all his struggling, the sheets tangled between his legs, his black pants clinging to his skin.

It was such a pitiful sight... As gently as he could, the young aristocrat brought his hand to his partner's cheek and caressed the sweaty skin with the back of his fingers. While doing that, he started to call out his name tenderly, expression tensed, and worried. Although he should have been alarmed by the other man's apparent distress, he was now used to such a thing happening and knew how to deal with it without losing his composure.

When he had finally repaid his debts, uncovered the mystery about his expulsion, found a job that he liked, and confessed his feelings to the man he had admired for more than two years, Edward had offered to Alex to move in together. Although he was still in his early twenties, working under the businessman's guidance and socializing with other people had helped him a lot to mature and be more independent. And thanks to the numerous cases he had solved through the year, he had saved up enough to live on his own. Or at least, afford something big enough for him. At first, the black-haired man had been hesitant, not sure if both were ready to live under the same roof. Their relationship had only started and both were pretty new to all these things. Especially Alex. Sleeping with men was really different to settle down with someone you have deep feelings for. However, the redhead had assured him that everything would be okay, that they would go through all this together, and that he would handle anything coming his way.

For better or worse...

The very first occurrence of these nightmares had happened just a few weeks after they moved in. To say he had been surprised would be a euphemism. Seeing Alex, usually composed and cool-headed, lose himself to fear and panic, had shocked him and made him unable to do anything aside from calling his lover's name repeatedly. He could still remember the despair in his voice as he had cried for help, not knowing what to do in that kind of situation. He hadn't even dared to touch him at that time, fearing to make things even worse. He had just stood there, shaking, wondering what to do, and prayed for it to stop. Hopefully, the ravenette had finally come to on his own, probably pulled out of his stupor by the frantic cries of the smaller man. Edward had almost fainted from relief, glad that the other was awake and not thrashing anymore.

Once everything had settled down and both had calmed down, the eldest had taken the time to explain what was wrong with him. At least once or twice a month, he would have night terrors about his older sister's death or about the day he had received the wound on his shoulder. Nowadays, the redhead felt stupid for not guessing _this_ was the cause of such an outburst. But at the time, the panic had overwhelmed him too much to have logical thoughts. At least, that was what he was telling himself...

The day after Alex had shared his inner demons with him, Edward had chosen to go and see Dr. Bell to learn how to help his loved one during those difficult moments. He wasn't the kind of person who would just stand by and watch him suffer, or let other people do the work for him. He needed to know how to handle it. He needed to be there and offer his support.

And now, after a few other attempts, the young aristocrat was able to soothe his pain and get him through these kinds of nights. Still asleep and lost in the vision of his past, Alex was moving more franticly, grabbing the sheets between his fingers and clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white. This one was more violent than the others. Usually, he wouldn't even tear the bed like this. Even Molly, also used to his nightmares, had climbed down from her spot between them and hidden under the desk. Carefully, Edward sat up next to his lover and grabbed his hand, guiding it to his mouth. He placed a small kiss on his palm, tasting the saltiness of his sweat in the process.

“Al, shhh... It's okay! Everything is alright, you're here with me. Nothing can hurt you anymore.”

His voice was calm, gentle, and just slightly louder than a whisper. He didn't want to startle him or scare him even more. Another whimper escaped from between his parted lips, head moving from left to right, and a few tears fused with the droplets on his temple. With the hem of his sleeve, the young man wiped them away, carrying on with his soft and reassuring words.

“Shh... Al, wake up! It's just a nightmare...”

These sentences had become a mantra to him. Like a prayer, he would repeat it again and again in hope that one day it would completely stop. It pained him greatly to see his lover in such a state, desperate and scared. He let his lips rest again on the fingers he was holding, feeling their grip tighten around his, and suppressed a light squeak at how hard they were pressing. After one last call, the ravenette seemed to hear his words because his legs slowed their movements to push away the covers. Knowing that he would soon wake up from his disturbed sleep, Edward let his small and pale fingers go through his wet hair, removing the strands that had fallen over his eyes and forehead. Like a mother with her child, he caressed his head and shushed him, smiling sadly at him. Slowly, he could see the eyelids of the one he loved dearly flutter open, letting his dark irises appear, veiled by tiredness. By now, his body was only shaking and his other hand had released its grip on the bed.

“E-Edward...” he whispered weakly, staring at the ceiling.

“Yes. I am here. Do not worry Al, I've got you!”

The hand he had laid on his forehead went down to his cheek, using his thumb to draw circles under his eye. With a sigh, the businessman leaned into the touch, closing his eyes again to focus on recovering his calm. The only thing positive about this whole predicament was that Alex would crave more physical affection after going through a nightmare. He was more the one who gave such loving gestures and would never ask for them in return. This thought brought a slight smile to Edenic's face. As he was still caressing his face, Edward saw how his lover wanted to use his elbows to push himself into a sitting position. Still worried about him, although he appeared composed, the young man helped him up, placing a hand between his should-blades and the other rested on his bare chest, feeling the wild beating of his heart. Now that he was sitting, the pillow propped up behind him, Alex could see the mess he had made with all his thrashing. The sheets had been ripped out from under the mattress, forming a big bundle of cloth on his side and leaving his partner without anything but his white nightshirt and dark briefs to cover him. Grey spots could be seen where his sweat had fallen. Molly wasn't sleeping with them like she usually did. And his body was trembling from his nightmare.

What a disaster...

As he saw the shadow pass over the man's eyes, Edward came closer and wrapped his small arms around him, his face buried into his neck. Dr. Bell had explained that, in order to appease his fears, he needed to be there and listen to him, or show him that what he had seen had already happened and would never happen again. After the redhead planted a light kiss in the crook of his neck, he broke the silence that was starting to be a bit too overwhelming.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

The black-haired man didn't answer immediately. His lover knew that it was better not to pressure him and give him the time to gather his thoughts. Even though he had heard the stories a few times already, he could understand that it could be hard to talk about. They were no easy subject to strike up a conversation. So, he kept his lips shut and only showed him physical affection, through hugs, caresses, and pecks, to let him know he was here for him.

Soon, Alex's breathing calmed down, synchronizing with his own, and his silhouette wasn't shaking as much anymore. There were still a few tremors here and there, but the worst part of it had ended. An arm slowly encircled Edward's waist, thumb rubbing his side, and the older man leaned into the embrace, returning the loving gestures. A soft purr escaped from the young aristocrat's throat, tightening his arms around him, and he sat comfortably beside him without breaking their hug. Finally, after almost ten minutes of complete silence, Alex decided to share what had plagued him this time.

“It was about the day your father gave the scar on my shoulder...”

As always when he would mention this tragic event, the son of Baron Edenic would feel a slight _pang_ in his heart and a furious hatred would build up in the pit of his stomach. _How could a grown-up man beat up a child with a poker? And without even feeling the slightest remorse about it?_ He had to pinch his lips into a straight line to keep himself from voicing his hatred about the incident. All he could do was to let his lips trace the damaged flesh, which had become redder because of the sweat and higher body temperature. Even in the dark room, his eyes could see the outline of it. Under his touch, his lover visibly shuddered. But he didn't pull away or ask him to stop.

“... but instead of me suffering from the blow, it was you laying on the floor, crying in pain and bleeding...”

Surprise crossed his face as he looked at Alex, not knowing what to say. It was the first time his dream was so different from reality. Of course, sometimes, it had slight variations like the setting or minor details that he couldn't clearly remember from that day. But never before the subject of his nightmares had changed like that. There must be something bothering him for it to be that way. A chill ran down his spine and he waited for his partner to continue.

“And... your father wasn't the one holding the poker... I was” Alex said, his voice failing him, his free covering his face.

For a second, the redhead went completely still, eyes widening, and a lump growing in his throat. He was at a loss for words. Back when he was indebted to the businessman, Edward had already pointed out one of the things that scared the ravenette the most. To resemble his uncle in more ways than just his appearance. Viscount Wake might look like a decent human being but was in fact the embodiment of the saying “never judge a book by its cover”. Though, it was in the negative sense of the term. Some of the scars that he had inflicted to the young man when he was not even a teenager yet, still lingered on his skin. Each time he had the chance to see him undress or completely naked, the sight of them made his blood boil. They were nothing like the one on his shoulder but it was still a reminder of the inhuman treatment he had received as a kid.

After what had happened at Ashgrove, Alex had started to fear that he would become just like his uncle. That he would be able to inflict such wounds to people and feeling nothing. And while the third son of the Edenics had assured him that he would never turn into such a monster, that night was enough to prove to him that this fear was still very real. He understood now that it was no easy task to help someone who had been traumatized in the past. However, stubborn as he was, Edward wasn't going to back away any time soon. With great care, he put his palms against his lover's cheeks and forced him to look into his blue eyes. If in the past, he would have been unable to find the right words, because of his hot-headed and reckless behavior, he had learned enough through his cases to handle this now. It took a few seconds for the older man to finally meet his gaze.

“Listen to me Al! You will never be like that man... or even my father, understood?”

“You can't be sure of that...”

“I am sure because I know who you are! You may have wanted to hurt my family but you didn't. You raised your hand to strike us down but you held back in the end. You did something that neither my father nor your uncle did. You actually listened!”

Edward paused for a short moment, studying his reactions. The other man stayed silent, breathing steadily, and didn't pull away. The redhead's thumbs again drew small circles on his cheeks, trying to distract his mind a little bit. Before speaking up again, he stole away a little kiss.

“You were able to control yourself and forget your revenge. Although you haven't forgiven my father for what he did, you understood that doing such a thing wouldn't bring you peace... or avenge what you and your sister have gone through.”

“If Jeremy hadn't been there, I would have...”

“But you didn't! Stop thinking about what might have happened. It's all in the past now. What is important is that you got a hold of yourself before the worst things could unfold. I wish that my father and your uncle would have done the same... Joshua and you wouldn't be suffering so much then...”

Silence settled between the two lovers. It was nothing awkward. Just a simple moment during which words were not needed. There were such times since they had gotten and moved in together. Edward understood that his partner could be a quiet and discreet man and that he needed peaceful moments to think and be by himself. Hence why he knew how to differentiate the awkward silence from the normal one. At some point, Alex decided to turn around and sit properly in front of the one he loved. Cross-legged, he took his delicate hand into his and invited him to take place in the middle of his legs so he could embrace him. Without thinking twice, the youngster accepted the offer and snuggled up against him, closing his eyes and smiling from ear to ear. With his forefinger, the ravenette pushed his chin upward and peppered his face with kisses. Forehead, eyelids, nose, cheeks, and lips. He left nothing aside. Edward's heart was beating loudly in his chest and his skin was turning into a bright shade of red. Having his long time crush reciprocating such physical affection was really a rare thing. He had a hard time to stay serious with him pampering like this. Opening his eyes, which he had closed without noticing, the young aristocrat saw a gentle but sad smile stretching the usually serious features of his lover. He joined their hand to comfort him, feeling their warmth pouring through their contact.

Like a true gentleman, he brought the small fingers to his mouth and kissed the white knuckles, forcing an embarrassed expression out of his younger lover. Edward opened his mouth to say something but wasn't able to let a sound get out of his throat. He wanted to retaliate but didn't, still in the process of helping his partner to feel better. He pouted a little bit before wearing a calmer expression, eyes looking straight into Alex's, waiting for what he had to say. And indeed, the businessman had something on his mind since the latter had told him about their parent being more understanding.

“You are aware that if none of that had happened if my uncle and your father had been more... human, we wouldn't be here together?”

“You can't be sure of that! You don't know what I am capable of when it comes to you!” The redhead said proudly, puffing his chest with pride.

“Hm? But I can pretty much imagine it” he laughed, the shadow of sadness finally leaving his gaze.

“Oh, you think?”

To illustrate his statement, Edward pushed his partner by his shoulders, forcing him to lay down. He didn't look like it but the young aristocrat built up a bit of strength since he had come to London. Doing some athleticism and martial arts had proved to be quite helpful sometimes. Especially when he had to catch a culprit on the run or disarm another one. Even though he couldn't compare to Alex, with him being taller, the element of surprise had been on his side, helping him on getting his man where he wanted. Now on his back, he could pin him down with his weight and sat on his abdomen, preventing him from moving around.

To be honest, Alex didn't look like he wished to free himself at that moment. He stayed still, waiting for whatever the youngster was going to come up with. As the moonlight shone upon them, lighting the left side of Edward's face, he bent down to trace a line from between his uncovered pecs to the inside of his neck with his mouth. His volatile kisses induced a series of goosebumps on the other's skin and a sigh of content echoed in the room, telling the redhead that his ministrations were working. Leaving a hickey on his collarbone, he then proceeded to nibble on his earlobe, whispering sweet things that only he could hear.

“I love you Al... I've always loved you. From the moment I laid my eyes on you... Whoever you were and whoever you could have become... You are a good man Al! If you don't believe in yourself, believe in me!”

A moan punctuated his sentence as fingers crawled under his nightshirt, caressing his waist and chest. Edward stopped teasing his lover and kissed his cheek before sealing whatever the other was going to say with his mouth. A long and hot exchange ensued afterward, tongue dancing with their twin in a wet ballet, teeth clashing against one another, and moans drowning between them. Moving on his own, the youngest body rubbed itself against the bigger one, trying to connect in all the ways possible. Alex grabbed his hips to keep him steady, sinking his thumbs in the flesh, and groaned into the kiss. They both knew that it wouldn't go far for tonight, as they were both really tired, but they indulged themselves for a little bit, forgetting for a moment why they were up, to begin with.

“Al... Al...” the young Edenic pleaded, letting his fingers run through the black strands.

“Yes, Edward. Yes...”

“I love you. Never forget that”

The man chuckled and kissed him again.

“Yes, me too. I love you my little Edward.”

At that, the red-haired boy pouted, puffing his cheeks. Being reminded that he would never grow taller from now on was not something he appreciated. Arthur had joked about it too during one of their whist game, pointing out that aside from Jeremy, he was the smallest of the Edenics. A statement that troubled him a lot since Oscar was pretty tall. He didn't understand why he had been cursed with such a small height. His younger brother would probably grow taller than him if that went on. Slightly annoyed, he turned his head away and furrowed his eyebrows. Soon after, a set of long fingers brushed against his hair and forced him to look back at the man under him. The only thing positive he could take out of this pet name was the slight smirk on his lover's face, probably cheering up at the sight of his childish expression. Shrugging his shoulders, the smaller man let himself fall on his side, just keeping one arm and one leg over his partner, snuggling like a cat against his master. He was glad that this time again, he had been able to appease his mind and convince him, at least for this night, that his nightmares would only be just that. _Dreams_.

Whatever life had in store for them, he knew that nothing like what had happened in the past would break them apart. He believed in them. He believed in _him_.

Slowly, as the night was still going, undisturbed by their conversation, Edward felt more and more sleepy, his eyelids falling shut and having a hard time to open up again. He fought hard to stay awake, concentrating on his partner's calm breathing and drawing shapes on his torso with his forefinger. Alex was quick to understand that the smaller one was about to lose against sleep, as he wrapped his right arm around him and kissed his temple with love. The redhead groaned as he was succumbing to tiredness, letting his hand rest completely flat on the broad chest. In a swift motion, the businessman had set the cover on them again, thinking he would arrange the bed in the morning, and settled down comfortably under it. Through half-opened lids, the young Edenic saw him turn around to face him and he couldn't help but chuckled when his hand landed unconsciously on his butt. The ravenette smirked at that and grabbed his wrist to put it between them.

“Hmm... I love you Al~”

When half-asleep, he sounded almost drunk and would act like a spoiled child. His lips pushed forward to ask for a kiss but Alex didn't give in.

“Don't be stubborn Edward... You need to go back to sleep” the businessman said, playing with his hair. “You have to get up early tomorrow and go help Arthur with a new case!”

“Pff... such a mood breaker... hmm”

“But you can't deny that I am right!”

A light chuckle left his slightly parted lips. It was true. He couldn't deny that he was really tired and had to get some rest to be at his best for work. But he kept fighting against it. Before giving into slumber, Edward wanted to make sure that his lover was truly well and that he would be able to rest too. Always being the first one to fall asleep, he didn't know if the other one had any trouble finding it. So, in an almost incomprehensible manner, he asked him if he was okay now. And as a simple answer, the businessman just kissed his forehead and hugged him tighter. That brought a goofy smile on Edward's face and soon, he couldn't think clearly anymore, finally choosing to let himself slip away into darkness. As he purred of content, Alex smiled against his head.

“Thanks for being here for me and stay who you are no matter what...”

But Edward wasn't able to react to this as light snores echoed in the room. Well, not like the oldest of the two wanted someone to hear that. Without moving too much, he arranged himself enough so he could sleep comfortably, Molly deciding to come back in between them, and let himself be swallowed by sleep as well.

**Author's Note:**

> There are not enough "Beyond Eden" fanfic out there! So, I decided to contribute to it with a little work of my own -although it's nothing big- about my favorite pairing~ I'll write probably more about them soon!
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read my work~  
> Tell me your thoughts about it if you can <3


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